Timing is everything
by Pegship
Summary: Prompted at castlefanficprompts for 8x12, "The Blame Game", thus spoilers: What if Kate were injured, or pregnant, during this episode? I went with both and made it as fluffy as possible when there's an emergency room involved.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** From two prompts on castlefanficprompts, one suggesting Kate is injured during 8x12, the other suggesting she's pregnant. As usual, a bit of departure from the prompts, but I hope it suits._

* * *

Kate Beckett was the worst patient ever. Everyone at the 12th knew that - some only through hearsay - her dad knew that, Castle knew that.

Fortunately, the emergency team at this hospital did not seem at all surprised. Castle wondered whether they were used to getting cranky injured cops here, or whether they were just naturally unflappable.

"I don't know why I'm even here," Kate groused. The nurse didn't comment; she was tapping and peering and scribbling on her clipboard. Castle, of course, couldn't help responding.

"You have a deep graze on your left shoulder," he repeated for the fourth time, "and you passed out."

"I did not. I don't faint, for crying out loud. Never have, never will."

"You did. In my arms. Espo was really mad - I think he wanted to catch you, but I got to you first."

Kate tried to roll her eyes, then flinched. "My head hurts."

"Probably whatever cocktail Brandon used to subdue us," said Castle.

"Lab results might take a bit," said the nurse. "We'll stitch up the wound right away. Do you need pain relief?"

"No," said Kate, then remembered her manners and added, "thank you."

Castle went out to update those in the waiting room on Kate's condition, amid general relief, and nearly everyone departed. Esposito came up to stand directly in front of Castle with his best don't-mess-with-me scowl.

"I know you two are on the outs," he said bluntly. "Even though technically you're her next of kin? Don't even think about using that access to your advantage."

"Me? Access?"

"She's a captive audience right now. If I hear that you've been picking an argument with her about your marriage - about anything - you'll be the one making a visit to emergency, you got me?"

"Loud and clear," said Castle, wishing he could break the silence on their self-imposed separation charade. "No pressure, no arguing."

Espo gave a short nod and left.

When Castle was permitted to see Kate again, she was resting after getting her stitches done, waiting for the all-clear from the lab in case she'd been dosed with something nasty enough to keep her hospitalized.

"I called your dad," said Castle, taking a seat in the chair next to his wife.

"You shouldn't have," she frowned, but Castle shook his head.

"I told him it was minor and that he didn't need to fly home from Texas to hold your hand," he said. "He said that was my job, anyway. I think he's onto us."

That got a smile out of her.

Half an hour later, Kate was actually dozing off a bit and Castle was holding her hand and contemplating her sleepy face, when a doctor came into the curtained area with typical cheer and bustle.

"Mr. and Mrs. Castle? I'm Doctor Beekman. I have your lab results - whatever was in your system has already left it. Everything looks clean."

"That's great," said Castle. Kate yawned and asked, "So I can go home now?"

"Just the usual paperwork and post-care instructions," said the doctor. "And your records don't indicate whether you have an obstetrician, so you should start looking for one pretty soon."

Suddenly wide awake, Kate said, "Obstetrician?"

Castle said, "What does that have to do with the - " and indicated Kate's shoulder wound.

"It doesn't, of course not," said Dr. Beekman. "But I noticed in your labs that the levels of - Wait. You didn't know?"

"For the sake of clarity," said Kate, "didn't know what, exactly?"

"You're pregnant," he replied. "Don't know how far along you are - the test here gives a simple yes or no result. I'll send a nurse in with your paperwork…"

He fled the scene as Kate and Castle exchanged flabbergasted stares.

"How could I not know that?" she said.

"You skipped, one month," Castle pointed out, having learned early on that knowing your wife's cycle was a survival skill. "And you're due just about now, right? So…"

"It would have been before Christmas," said Kate.

Their stares turned to grins, and Castle leaped up to hug her, though carefully.

"Wow," he said.

 _=tbc=_


	2. Chapter 2

Rick Castle stood tall in the elevator of the Twelfth Precinct, coffees in hand, ready to reclaim his rightful place as chief kibitzer of the Homicide Division. At the fourth floor, the doors opened and he stepped out…

...to no one's notice, at all, whatsoever. It was at that moment that he realized the script needed revising.

He went over and tapped on Kate's open door. "Special delivery," he announced.

She looked up and tried not to smile.

"Thanks, Castle," she said, taking the coffee he handed her, then sighed. "I'm going to miss coffee."

"It's decaf," he said promptly, toasting her with his own cup.

"So what brings you here, this fine morning?" Kate asked formally.

"Inquiring after your health, dear Captain. It's been 48 hours since your injury and I had to see for myself that you were back up to speed."

"Well, now you see me," she said. "And now you don't. Because I have to be at a department heads meeting in ten minutes."

"As usual, I have an ulterior motive," said Castle. "I think we should talk about how we're going to spin my return, and your, um, news."

"Spin?" Kate frowned and lowered her voice. "Who says you're returning?"

Castle was shocked. "I assumed that - in light of your condition - we'd be getting back together, publicly."

"My condition? You sound like an old country doctor, Castle. I agree that we should 'reconcile', but when, where, and how - " She sighed again. "You're right, I guess we need to talk. Not here, though."

"So, today - ?"

"Tonight," she said. "The loft. Six o'clock okay?"

"What about lunch?"

"Tonight," Kate repeated firmly. "Six o'clock." Taking hold of his lapel, she pretend-hauled him over to the open door; just before she pushed him out she leaned up and whispered, "Thanks for the decaf...Daddy."

She watched surreptitiously as Castle strolled to the elevator with a cocky grin on his face and a spring in his step. Her ogling was interrupted by her two favorite detectives, who walked into her office, shut the door, and sat on her couch.

"Fellas," she said, seating herself behind her desk. "What's up?"

"You are," said Ryan.

"He is," said Esposito, jerking a thumb in the direction of the elevator.

"He brought you coffee," Ryan added.

"And that's the I-got-lucky smirk on his face," said Esposito. "How about you? You feel lucky, Cap?"

The best defense was almost always a good offense. Kate sat back and assumed a puzzled frown. "Why the sudden interest in Castle's sex life, boys? Not getting enough at home?"

"That's not - wait a minute - " Ryan sputtered. Espo rolled his eyes.

"We know," he said succinctly.

"Know what?" Kate asked.

"About you and Castle."

"Not getting any clearer," said Kate, picking up a file and a pen. "You can go practice your interrogation methods elsewhere, now."

Ryan sighed. "We know that you and Castle are meeting up on the sly. We know that Dr. Livingston and Svetlana are cover stories. We know that you're no more separated than Jenny and I, and what we'd like to know is why."

Kate was not surprised; these guys weren't top-rated NYPD detectives for nothing. She'd known it was only a matter of time.

"Okay," she said quietly. "We're not split up. We were, for a while, but that's over. We do, however, have to maintain the front that we're separated, for reasons I can't explain. I can tell you it has nothing to do with the NYPD or you guys."

The two men exchanged glances and fist bumps.

"And that's all I'm going to tell you," she said. "Don't tell anyone else. Now, amscray."

She ignored their protests and bluster, focusing on the form in front of her, until they finally went off grumbling. Then she picked up the phone and called Lanie in the morgue.

"Hey, Lanie. Got a minute?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Flattery will get you everywhere as far as reviews are concerned, so this is no longer destined to be a two-shot. More to come._


	3. Chapter 3

Fortunately, Kate had fibbed to Castle about the department head meeting, so she could settle in for a reasonably long chat with Lanie. Lanie's first response to the revelation that Kate and Rick weren't really separated was anticlimactic.

"Tell me something I don't know," she snorted. "Did you really think you were fooling everybody?"

"I refuse to answer on the grounds that I may incriminate myself," Kate replied dryly. "Does everybody know?"

"I figured it out when you and Castle started working together on cases while pretending you weren't working together. Kate, you two cannot be in the same room without producing some kind of aura. Chemistry. You know what I mean."

"Ryan and Espo were just in my office, said they figured it out too."

"The great detectives. Well, as far as I know, there's no pool on the two of you splitting or not splitting, so I deduce that no one else suspects anything. And don't worry - I plan to keep it that way."

"Thanks, Lanie. One of these days we'll have a glass of wine and you can give me the tongue lashing I so richly deserve." Whoops. She'd better give Lanie the rest of the news. "Well, without the wine, for me. Um, I'm pregnant."

There was dead silence on the line.

"Lanie? Not kidding here. I really am pregnant. Kind of a surprise. We just found out a couple of days ago."

Finally her friend sighed heavily. Kate could just hear her eyes rolling.

"No wine," said Lanie. "My place, Friday night. And you are going to spill your guts on every little detail of what the hell you've been up to. Captain."

"Yes, Dr. Parish," said Kate meekly. Lanie laughed.

"Oh, Kate. I can't take my eyes off you for a minute, can I? Congratulations. I'm not as mad as I sound, you know that."

"And I'm grateful for it," Kate said.

Castle was humming and cooking when the door to the loft opened at five o'clock that evening.

"Is that the chicken Marsala?" asked Martha as she wafted in and sniffed the air. "What's the occasion?"

"Family meeting," said Castle, trying to look mysterious.

"I know, Richard, so you said. Family meeting *and* Marsala? This usually heralds news. Earth-shattering news. I-ran-off-to-the-Hamptons-and-got-married news."

"Gram!" Alexis came downstairs and hugged her grandmother. "Don't bother. I haven't been able to get anything out of him, either."

Castle hummed even more happily; the two women exchanged a look and shrugged.

"Come and tell me about your classes, darling," said Martha, and they went over to chat on the sofa.

At six precisely, a key turned in the lock, and Kate poked her head inside.

"All quiet on the western - Martha! and Alexis! Good to see you both," said Kate, quickly covering her surprise at their presence. She came in and shut the door and went over to them for hugs.

"Richard called a family meeting," said Martha. "Didn't he tell you?"

She and Kate turned to look suspiciously at Castle, who just grinned and put the chicken in the oven.

"I'm guessing not," said Alexis. "Now that you're here, maybe he'll spill. Dad?"

Castle took his time washing his hands, then went over to kiss his wife on the cheek. He sat down in the armchair and pulled Kate onto his lap.

"What are you spilling today, Rick?" she muttered. "We haven't discussed - "

"Nothing to discuss," he said in a low voice. "If we don't tell 'em now they'll find out anyway. Eventually."

"Point. Well, you have the floor, Mr. Castle."

Castle beamed. "Ladies and - ladies," he began. "First off, I would like to announce that Kate and I have resolved our differences, and that she'll be moving back into the loft soon."

The reaction to this was anticlimactic. Martha and Alexis just gazed expectantly at him and Alexis said, "And - ?"

At Castle's frown, Martha added, "Did you really think you were fooling anyone with your separation act? Really, darling, of course we knew it wasn't real. I thought it must be part of some clandestine case you were both working on."

Kate smothered a laugh. "Better move along," she whispered in Castle's ear. "You're losing your audience."

"I bet you didn't know this," Castle said to the ladies. "Not only is Kate moving back in, but - we're pregnant."

"That's great!" and "How wonderful!" rang out, and Castle was reassured. Kate sensed a deluge of questions coming on and braced herself.

"When are you due?"

"When did you find out?"

"Does anyone else know?"

"Wait." This was from Alexis. "How far along are you, Kate?"

"Um," said Kate, not wanting to fudge the truth. "Six to eight weeks, I think. I haven't seen a doctor yet."

"Hmm," said Alexis. "So… this happened before Christmas? You two got back together two months ago?"

"Um," said Castle. "Yeah."

"And you didn't say anything to us."

"Um, no. I think I smell the chicken burning…" Castle dumped Kate unceremoniously on the sofa between the redheads and made his escape into the kitchen, where the chicken was far from done.

Kate looked mildly apprehensive, but Martha patted her arm and smiled.

"We're not miffed, Katherine," she said. "Not at you, anyway. But I never pass up a chance to torment Richard, and Alexis succumbs occasionally as well. So how long have you known?"

"Actually, we just found out two days ago," said Kate. "I had to go to the emergency room - just to get checked out! - " she added hastily, at Alexis' shocked expression - "and the blood test showed it up. I took a couple of those home pregnancy tests last night, too."

"Dad was with you?" asked Alexis.

"He insisted," said Kate dryly. "He was at the crime scene, allegedly assisting Ryan and Espo, and he *says* I fainted, so he came to the hospital with me."

"She had an injury," Castle added, coming back from the kitchen. "For the record, she did not faint at the sight of the victim."

Alexis eyed her dad, apparently decided not to inquire further, and turned back to Kate.

"So have you told your dad yet, that he's going to be a grandpa?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Hi, Dad," said Kate brightly, hugging him before she sat down in the booth.

"Hi, Katie," said Jim Beckett. "Something tells me this isn't just a check-in."

"I swore I'd never play poker with you," she said ruefully. "Turns out you call my bluff even when no cards are involved. You're right. Not just a check-in."

"Bluff? I don't know what you're talking about," said Jim. "Unless you mean your reconciliation with Rick."

Kate threw her hands up in the air. "Does everyone know?" she asked, exasperated. "Lanie, Ryan, Esposito, and apparently Martha and Alexis, and now you."

"Those people all have one thing in common," said her dad. "They know you, or Rick, or both of you."

He leaned in to make his point.

"You and Rick have been through hell together, occasionally put each other through it, and you have both always come through. Beat up, but stronger than ever. I didn't doubt that this time you'd find your way back to each other."

"We have," Kate sighed. "That's not all, though."

Jim's expression was calculating. "I'm listening."

"I'm pregnant, Dad."

She wasn't afraid of her dad's reaction; she didn't expect it to be negative, and yet she felt relieved when a smile spread over his face.

"That's great," he said softly. "Katie, that's wonderful."

"It is," she echoed, and found tears rising in her eyes.

"It's the best news I've had all year," he said, taking her hand. "How are you feeling?"

She choked out a laugh through the tears, which were coming more steadily.

"Tired," said Kate. "And achy. Not sick, though, thank God."

"How long have you known?"

"About a week. I had to go to the hospital - um, for a routine - "

"Kate," her dad interrupted firmly. She should have known better than to sneak anything past him.

"Okay, it was a minor flesh wound. Really, Dad. And they had some bloodwork done and it showed up on the panel. Castle was there, so we both found out at the same time."

"I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that," said Jim. "Have you seen a doctor yet?"

"I have an appointment this afternoon," she told him. "Anything in our deep, dark medical history I should know?"

He shook his head. "Nothing up my sleeve. Just - be careful, okay, Katie?"

She thought he was talking about the perils of her job, but he went on, "You know, back in the day women smoked and drank and took medications while they were pregnant. Not just thalidomide. And I know you're aware of the risks. Your mother was, too - she quit her evening glass of wine when we found out she was pregnant, and you know she never did smoke."

"You know my biggest challenge is going to be giving up caffeine, Dad," she said. "But I promise, I will do my best to grow a healthy grandbaby for you."

"Your best is pretty damn impressive, Katie," he said. "One more thing."

"Just one, Columbo?"

"Don't let Rick smother you," said her dad. "He's a generous man, and so far you've been able to assert your independence, rein him in when it comes to spending time and money on you. Baby's going to be a different story - he's going to feel like he has a right to spoil his own offspring."

"Still, Alexis turned out all right, even with just her dad around. I have plenty of time to worry about Beckett Junior's upbringing, Dad - I just want to have a successful pregnancy."

"Beckett, Junior," said Jim. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

"So, you told your dad," said Castle, not really asking. He was sitting on the bed at her temporary lodging, watching her pack her few belongings into a few suitcases.

"Yep," Kate replied. "Met him for breakfast. He's happy for us. Especially the fact that I'm moving back in."

"Was he surprised?"

"Not about me moving back in," she said. "It seems he's yet another member of the not-fooled-for-a-minute club. Wonder how big that club is now."

"What a waste," said Castle. "Although the sneaking-around part was kind of fun."

Kate closed the last case and made as if to pick it up, but she was forestalled by her husband.

"I don't think you should be lifting anything, at the moment," he said, taking the case and another one in the other hand.

Kate narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to be one of those helicopter dads-to-be, are you? Because that's just - "

"No, no - I just mean, until we hear from the doctor. Really. Not that I wouldn't love to wait on you hand and foot, spoil you rotten, well, no more than usual, anyway - "

She laughed and took pity on him.

"It's okay, babe," she said. "I'm not used to you having a sense of caution, but for now I'll take it."

The suitcases were duly loaded into the car - Castle did the loading - and their next destination was Kate's doctor, Jean Livingston, who confirmed that she was indeed pregnant and who set up a schedule of pre-natal appointments.

"I'm guessing this was unplanned?" asked Dr. Livingston. "The tabloids made it look like you two couldn't be in the same room together, let alone the same bed. If you don't mind my saying so."

Kate, who had known the doctor for years, grinned. Castle took the hint and smirked.

"Rumors of the death of our relationship have been greatly exaggerated," he said. "Obviously."


	5. Chapter 5

The evening that Kate spent catching up with Lanie, Rick got caught up by Ryan and Esposito, at his own bar. They sat in a booth in a corner and made him fill them in on his and Beckett's current status. Rick obliged, and once sufficiently grilled, he felt it was his turn to ask questions.

"So, did you really catch on to the fake separation?" he asked. "Or did Lanie tell you?"

The two other men exchanged glances.

"I hate to admit it," Esposito said finally, "but it was Kevin's call."

"Just like when you were trying to keep it secret on that trip to the Hamptons." Ryan grinned.

"Now that was sheer dumb luck," argued Espo. "If you hadn't interrogated that - "

"Luck of the Irish, bro," Ryan retorted.

Castle was watching them like a spectator at a tennis match; eventually he interrupted to ask, "What gave it away?"

"Evidence, of course," said Ryan. "She could have banned you from the precinct, Mayor or no Mayor. Weldon would have respected a personal request from an estranged partner."

"Plus, she kept having meetings in the middle of the day," said Espo. "And then she'd come back all cheerful and relaxed. Nobody comes out of an NYPD meeting cheerful and relaxed."

"Really, though - " Ryan hesitated and looked sideways at Esposito. who was shaking his head.

"Go ahead, you're the sensitive one," said Espo.

"It was out of character," Ryan blurted out. "It - felt wrong. There's no way you would step out on Beckett, not as long as the two of you were still married - or while there was a chance you'd get back together."

"And even if you were cheating, you sure wouldn't be showing your face in the precinct, or at crime scenes," Esposito pointed out.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Castle retorted. "This from the guy who jumped to the conclusion that I was cheating in the first place."

"Sorry bout that," Espo muttered.

"You haven't been chasing Beckett for what, seven years now? Only to give up on her. For any reason," said Ryan.

"Also," Espo added, "Beckett is a rotten liar, when it comes to her personal life. She can lie like a rug to a suspect, or even to a witness, but when she said she was dating someone else? Her nose grew about an inch and a half."

He high-fived Ryan and they all drank.

"New York's finest, indeed," said Castle.

* * *

As good as Castle was at pampering Beckett, he still had a remarkable grip on his ability to say no. One night he woke to an empty bed and got up to find his wayward wife. She was in the far corner of the living room, watching something on her laptop, her face lit weirdly blue by its light.

"Kate," said Castle softly. "Come back to bed."

"Can't sleep," she said.

"What are you watching?"

With lightning speed, she blanked the screen and shut the lid of the laptop. "Nothing. Temptation Lane."

He stood over her and said, sternly, "You were going over the dossier. Again."

She looked mildly chagrined. The LokSat dossier was contained on a flash drive, which he could see protruding from the USB port, and Kate could probably recite the contents by heart. At any rate -

"You don't need to be up at this hour trying to beat your thoughts into submission," said Castle. "For five minutes, or five hours. And all that melatonin-sucking blue light can't be good for you or the baby."

He held out his hand and she handed him the laptop, which he tucked under his arm, then took his hand to help her rise from the couch.

"I can't sleep, though," she muttered as they moved through the office and into the bedroom.

"On it," he promised.

Castle stashed the laptop under his side of the bed and guided her to lie down on her side facing him. In the quiet dimness of their room, he began to speak.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman who lived in a tower in the center of the busiest city in the world…"

* * *

By the time Kate's pregnancy started to become obvious, she and Rita had come to an agreement. Kate and Vikram would still investigate the LokSat operation, while Rita would be their feet on the ground. She assured them that this wouldn't slow down her pursuit of leads from inside the intelligence community, and with any luck LokSat would leave Kate and Vikram alone. Physically, anyway.

Kate wasn't up for running around New York City, anyway. She wasn't huge, but she was uncomfortable, and she had to eat small frequent meals to keep herself going. There was one near-disaster where she worked past morning break and through lunch and then emerged from her office nearly breathing fire because of her empty stomach. Somehow Castle's shared-brain ninja senses kicked in, because before she actually bit anyone's head off, he arrived with sushi and other favorites and ushered her into the break room.

"Disaster averted," said Ryan with relief.

"Was Jenny like that?" asked Esposito.

"Nah," Ryan replied. "She did have a lot of - specific food preferences, but not the, um, mood swings. I really think Castle has a sixth sense where Beckett's concerned."

"Yeah, it's called self-preservation," Espo grinned.

* * *

 _Next (and final) chapter: The delivery..._


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:** Thank you to the the guest who pointed out that pregnant women should not eat sushi; I did not know that, as I don't ever eat it even when I'm not pregnant. Cheers, and folks, always ask your ob/gyn!_

* * *

"Tell me," Kate panted into her phone. "What happened?"

"Never mind about that," said Castle on the other end. "How far along is it?"

"Still only about fifteen minutes, between contractions," she said. "Five minutes from the hospital. Ryan's using lights and sirens. What happened?"

"He's dead," Castle said shortly. "Shot by at least three different weapons, as far as anyone can tell. Esposito's at the scene, along with LT, Perlmutter, and Bruce. And a fleet of cars from the FBI, CIA, NYPD, and God only knows who else. Probably TMZ. I don't have lights and sirens, Beckett - I'll get there as soon as I can."

"I'll try to hold out until you get here," she told him. "But Baby Beckett might have other plans."

"Jenny's waiting for us there," said Ryan as Kate ended the call. "Best labor coach you could have. Better than Castle, I'm guessing."

"I'm sure she is," said Kate, shifting continually in her seat. Between contractions, she was still in great discomfort. She wished there was something she could *do*. "Before I go completely into birth mode - thank you and Jenny, so much, for being my backup."

"I can't believe he isn't here," Ryan said. "After all that."

"Of all the dumb luck," Kate agreed, then stopped.

"What?"

"Dumb luck," she repeated slowly. "You don't suppose Castle went there just to draw his fire - do you?"

"He would, to keep you from doing it." Ryan hit the brakes, then accelerated again as he swung around a one-way corner. "Or just to get it done before the baby came."

"Idiot," said Kate. "Not you, Kev. Castle. He's an idiot. When I get my hands on him - "

Ryan grinned. "God help him. I hope the baby comes soon, just to distract you and give Castle a chance to duck."

Kate glared at her friend, who snickered, and steeled herself for another wave of pain.

Castle knew exactly where the labor and delivery ward was, and he tried not to mow anyone down as he strode through the halls like a homing pigeon to its nest. He slowed at the nurses' station, but even as he opened his mouth to speak, the nurse on duty pointed to a side hallway and said, "Labor and Delivery Four, Mr. Castle."

He flashed the nurse a grin and scooted in that direction, ducking through the doorway and halting just inside. He knew better than to annoy the medical personnel present at the birth of his child - or the woman currently working to accomplish it.

"Castle," he heard Kate gasp. Every head in the room turned, including Jenny Ryan's; she stood at Kate's head, looking excited and happy. She gestured for Castle to come take her place.

Someone was encouraging Kate to breathe, breathe, counting to ten, as Castle gave Jenny a hug and moved to lean over his wife.

"Hey," he said. "What can I do?"

Kate shook her head, momentarily unable to speak, and when she could she said, "Stand there looking handsome, babe. God, I'm so glad you made it. Remind me to tell you you're an idiot."

Castle frowned. "Um...okay. Whatever you want, Mommy."

It took longer than he thought it would, but the doctor didn't seem disturbed by the slow progress. Kate held Castle's hand most of the time as he wiped her face and told her about the LokSat takedown.

Kate told him why she thought he'd been an idiot and he actually brightened a bit.

"That's a great story," he said thoughtfully. When Kate glared at him, he added quickly, "Not for me, though. Seriously, I didn't do it on purpose, Kate. I wouldn't run the risk of missing out on our new family. Geez, low opinion of me much?"

"Castle," she began, but he was saved her half-hearted tongue-lashing by the onset of another contraction. This time Kate let go of his hand and grabbed a handful of the front of his shirt.

"Better than - breaking - your hand - " she panted.

"You're not gonna yell at me for putting you through this?" Castle asked, only half teasing. "Swear you'll never let me near you again?"

"Takes two, Castle. - And you better come near me. Again and again. For as long as we both shall - "

"Push, Kate, time to push. Count - " said the nurse.

"Again and again," Castle promised. "As soon as medically permitted. Come on, Kate, God, you're beautiful."

So was Baby Castle, once she made her appearance shortly thereafter. She was weighed and measured and wiped and wrapped up and handed to her mother, who looked up at Castle with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, my God," she whispered. "You were right, Rick. That love you told me about."*

Castle nodded, rather teary himself. "Lightning, right? There's nothing like it. Even the way I feel about you - it's a different kind of love."

He leaned down to kiss her, then kissed his daughter and murmured, "Welcome home, Becca."

* * *

*That love is mentioned by Castle in season 5 during "Hunt":

" _You know, I still remember … when Alexis was born they handed me this tiny person, all bundled up. She just … stared up at me. And when I looked down at her, this feeling hit me. Like I'd been struck by lightning. It was love. That instant, inexplicable love you can only feel for your child."_


End file.
